Competition Recap

Saint Thomas Academy defeats Manville Sportsman's Rod and Gun Club

Saint Thomas Academy defeated Manville Sportsman's Rod and Gun Club 1050 to 927 last week in the National Air Rifle League. Their fifth win in a row, Saint Thomas Academy is in first place in their Division with a 5 - 0 record. Saint Thomas Academy was led by Seth Olson who shot a 275. The remaining contributing members were Riley Miller, Jack Kotok, and Kaleb Rutgers. Saint Thomas Academy is from Mendota Heights, MN, and is coached by Paul Preblich.

Manville Sportsman's Rod and Gun Club dropped to 0 - 5 on the season. They are currently in eighth place in their Division. Shooting their highest team score of the season Manville Sportsman's Rod and Gun Club was led by Emily Carreiro who shot a 248. The remaining contributing members were Emily Carreiro, Alex Carreiro, and Jason Cole. Manville Sportsman's Rod and Gun Club is from Woonsocket, RI, and is coached by Amie Dubois.

Next up Saint Thomas Academy will compete against Lake Houston 4-H from Kingwood, TX. Lake Houston 4-H currently has a 1 - 4 record. Manville Sportsman's Rod and Gun Club will compete against Coweta Co 4-H from Senoia, GA. Coweta Co 4-H currently has a 2 - 3 record.

These two teams are competing in the Junior Rifle Club Champions Division of the Orion National Air Rifle League. Sponsored by the Orion Scoring System, the league is a national team league for high school teams and junior rifle clubs. The Champions Division is the most difficult division in the conference. The league has two parts. An 8 week round-robin regular season going on now, where teams compete for their Division's title. Followed by the post-season, comprising of two single elimination tournaments. Only the top 16 teams across all divisions advance to the post-season, to compete for the league title.

In each game the teams compete in what is known as a Three-Position Air Rifle match. The match is modeled after Olympic Rifle competitions but adapted to high school age athletes. Each athlete will shoots 10 shots in three different shooting positions, prone, standing, and kneeling. Each shot is worth a maximum of 10 points. The sum of points scored in the 30 shots is the athlete's total. The team score is comprised of the best four athletes from each team.

For more information on the league, including complete standings, visit http://www.orionscoringsystem.com/AirRifleLeague